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Wth have I done to myself panic…



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Hi, im one week post op today, and the moments of wondering wth have I done to myself and my body is getting worse daily and so worried I will never be able to live even a semi normal life again.

I do have a food addiction issue, and had a hernia, fatty liver, high bp and was pre- diabetic, so knew i needed to do something drastic, but all those rational thoughts just make me think i took the lazy, easy way out and must have been out of my mind to not sort myself out and resort to something this irreversibly drastic.
I know im responsible for this, but really Just wondering if anyone else has these fears and what you do to get over it…? tia

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Are you having a hard time getting Protein and fluids down or a lot of pain? Difficulty with the liquid diet? It gets way better with each day of recovery and each phase back to normal food. I was so worried about being able to feel normal again that as soon as I was medically allowed I tried many of my favorite foods just to be sure I could toloratw them. Many people would frown upon this during weight loss phase but I had a small amount just so I would know that eventually I will be able to enjoy these foods in moderation again. Now at ten months out I am 9 pounds from goal so light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn’t be happier about my choice to have the surgery.

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Actually I am glad to have had this surgery. I think during pre-Op diet and even during the post-Op clear/full liquid phases, I was obsessed with watching YT videos of yummy Indian food.

Buy now 6 weeks post-Op, those thoughts have died down and so have the yummy food videos.

It gets better. Trust me, it will. Also like @ShoppGirlmentioned, when it gets overwhelming have a spoonful kf your favorite food. As soon as I was able to allow soft/regular diet, I had some of the restaurant Indian curries. Ofc didn't go crazy. But I had a spoonful of it. Also had little of cake, chocolate, chips etc. Again make sure not to go overboard. Anyhow, once I tasted those foods, it kinda worked to make me realize, I'll eventually feel normal and would be able to tolerate some of my favorites in small quantities ofc.

I used to be obessed with the mentality *one more day of binge eating and then I'll diet* That went on for a decade. Binge, diet, binge, diet. It was a vicious cycle.

While post-Op is a new journey all together. I don't get those tendencies anymore. I feel satisfied having little bit of everything I can tolerate than restrict myself or deprive myself. I think deprivation leads to disastrous results. Reason why most diets never worked for me. Keto, avoiding carbs etc etc wasn't me. I wanted something that can break the vicious cycle and surgery did it for me.

Yes first month or even 2 or even 3 may be worse, but it gets better.

Anyhow, sorry about the ramble lol. But I hope you get the gist of what I was trying to say. Day at a time, stick to the program and your thoughts too will rewire. I think many out here will agree with it.

Good Luck with your journey 😊

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WLS is NOT the lazy easy way out. Get that out of your head. It's not a miracle cure. It's only a tool. You still have to do all the hard work. Second, it's only been a week. The surgery released hormones in your body and you're second-guessing what you did. You're healing. Life is changing. It's all normal to feel this way. Talk to the counselor at your surgeon's office and deal with some of these issues.

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those kinds of thoughts are pretty normal the first few weeks - and, it gets better. I felt that way the first month, too, but having WLS turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made - I'd do it again in a heartbeat! And yes, the first few weeks are tough - but you will live a normal life again. Other than my stomach not being able to hold as much food as before, my life is completely normal, and has been for a long time (I'm almost seven years out).

and others are right, this is NOT easy! This is just a tool - you really have to work at it to get the weight off - and then you have to keep working at it to keep it off. It's a lifelong struggle - albeit made do-able thanks to the surgery. There's no way on earth I could have lost over 200 lbs and kept it off without surgery.

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It's normal to have "buyers' remorse" after surgery. It took me 3.5 months to finally feel comfortable enough that I didn't regret my surgery.

It's definitely not the easy way out. I had lost 100 lbs a few years ago "on my own," and this is definitely harder. There is so much to adapt to. But I gained that 100lbs back and there's a good chance I will not gain the weight back after surgery.

I too have had tiny pieces of cakes and other sweets. I have to be careful though, because these foods "slide" right down even if I'm full.

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It's very normal to regret surgery early on - many people do, and it's easy to see why. You're in pain from gas and the incisions, your weight hasn't gone down (and may have even gone up!) due to all the Fluid pumped into you during the surgery - as a side note, STAY AWAY from the scale for the first month!! And you may want to eat but cannot, you probably feel nausea and fatigue. Recovery SUCKS. Then ketosis symptoms set in. For me it was dry mouth, leg cramps when walking up a hill, brain fog, and general fatigue. I drank my 64 ounces of Water a day and still had cotton mouth. It was crazy. That being said... being in ketosis means you're burning all your fat stores to stay alive so you just cope with it. My dietician said you could resolve the symptoms temporarily by drinking 24 ounces of juice for 3 days. But the thought of drinking something so sweet made me want to gag so I never did that.

Anyway, IT DOES GET BETTER. When you step on the scale 4 weeks after surgery you'll see the number has dropped significantly. Your clothes will start feeling looser. The pain and nausea will subside. And you'll start to feel closer to normal. Every week it'll get a little better. Eventually your energy levels will normalize, and then they will increase as you get slimmer. It's fantastic.

I'm 5.5 months out now and feel great. I can eat relatively normally (albeit much smaller portions than I used to) but nothing bothers my tummy. My appetite is back but it's not impossible to ignore like it used to be. I feel 20 years younger and am in really good shape. I love being able to take stairs without losing my breath, bend over and pick things up off the floor without my joints and back aching, chasing my kids around, walking fast, and crossing my legs :) It all is worth it in the end!! Hang in there!

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Hi Ellie, i totally understand where you are at, I was the same if not worse. I spent my first 8 weeks curled up on my sisters couch feeling like my life was over. I cried everyday for the first 4 months i was miserable and deeply regretted the surgery. But it does get better i still have my moments but on the whole i am feeling much better. Feel free to reach out to me in pm if you want to vent chat or ask questions.

Ps i did get councilling that might be a good option for you too.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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